Willow Glen Resident
News
Willow Glen passport office on Meridian one of the busiest
By Mayra Flores De Marcotte
As summer approaches, the line outside the passport window at the Willow Glen Meridian Post Office continues to grow.
Starting January 2007, the government added Mexico, Canada and the Carribean to the list of countries that required U.S. passports for people traveling to those countries as part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.
The new law resulted in a frantic race to get passports so families could plan their spring and summer vacations.
When Sallie McAlear began planning a trip to Mexico for April, she thought she had plenty of time.
"I started late January and needed to renew my passport," the Willow Glen resident said. "I went to the Meridian post office three times, but each time, it looked like the DMV. There was no way I was going to wait."
Instead, McAlear went online and searched for post offices that offered passport services with out-of-the-way locations. She found one location off Abel Street in Milpitas. McAlear showed up early during the first week of February.
"I was the fifth person in line," she said.
She came prepared. Her application was filled out, passport photos had been taken at Walgreens and she had her expired passport and current driver's license.
"I waited less than an hour," McAlear said.
McAlear was told she needed to allow 60 days before traveling to receive her passport. For an extra $60, she could expedite the process, but the clerk told her she should be was fine and that the extra fees to speed up the process were not necessary.
It turns out, she wasn't.
Her passport did not arrive before her April 11 travel date, so she had to cancel her plans. The new passport didn't arrive until the last week in April.
Experiences like McAlear's have prompted recent changes nationwide to the passport process.
The Bush administration announced on June 1 that it will temporarily waive the need for a passport in order to travel by air to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Travelers will be allowed to travel with just a receipt from the State Department as prove that the application for a passport has been initiated. Travelers driving to Canada or Mexico do not currently require a passport, but that will change effective January 2008.
The waiver pertaining to air flight was created so summertime vacation plans are not canceled or disrupted because of the passport backlog. The waiver will end in September. The lack of a passport will, however, result in additional scrutiny for travelers.
McAlear ended up rescheduling her trip for May and said with things as backed up as they are, travelers should make sure they allow themselves plenty of time before their trip, make sure to have everything filled out in advance and find the passport office with the shortest lines.
This advice will make the process smoother for everyone, agrees Christine Berdai, manager at the Meridian post office.
"We are overwhelmed by the request for passports," Berdai said. "As of three months ago, our business has tripled."
It used to take eight weeks to process and receive a new or renewed passport; it now takes up to 14 weeks, Berdai said. Common hold-ups include not having the right identification.
"People need to bring in their birth certificate and not just a photocopy of it," she said.
Passport clerk Melva Pieracci said another common problem is that those who haven't already filled their applications out don't realize they need to know their parents' birth dates.
The guessing game that follows turns a 15-minute process into an hour-long ordeal, she said.
Another common delay involves passports for minors. Both parents have to be present in order to process this type of application, Pieracci said.
"This is due to the amount of fraud and abduction that has happened in the past," she said. "We know it's hard to get the whole family here, but we do have Saturday appointments. People just need to plan in advance."
For more information, visit www.travel. state.gov.
